Is It Time to Mix Up Your Game in Photography?

"I'm always learning new things.
​If there isn't anything new you can learn go off and die!"
Morgan Freeman

by Skip Cohen
 
​Okay, that's a pretty extreme quote to kick off the week, but I've always been a Morgan Freeman fan, and if you think about it, he's right.

It's Marketing Monday, and started the morning wanting to come up with something new I'd do this week. I want to change my routine and expand what I do every day. There's that great line about growth only happens outside your comfort zone. I've repeatedly suggested that when you're headed to a major conference - always take a couple of classes entirely foreign to your skillset.
 
ClickCon is coming up next month in Chicago and is an opportunity to expand your skill set, but what if there's no travel in your near future? That doesn't mean you can't do something different this week, whether in learning or just expanding your presence. It's like the "365 Projects" that cropped up years ago - with photographers taking and sharing one different image each day. And years before the Internet, I remember my good buddy Tony Corbell suggesting everyone should always save a couple of frames on the roll and just mix it up - shoot differently for those last two shots.

What are you going to do differently this week to grow your business?

• Use Your Phone: Put together a call list of your best 50-100 clients and pick up the phone. You don't have to sell them anything; just check up on them as we head into summer.
• Own Your Zipcode: I owe Scott Bourne for this one. Draw a circle around your home base and then knock on every business door in the community. Introduce yourself as the imaging expert. For example, a wedding photographer walking into a realtor isn't selling his/her wedding business. "I just wanted to introduce myself. My core business is wedding photography, but whatever your photography needs, give me a shout. I've got a great network of photographers, specializing in virtually everything." Then just leave your business card or brochure.
• Do a Legacy Taping: Pick a past senior client (gray hair, not high school) and set up some recording time to capture their story. It's a perfect Father's Day or Graduation Gift from Grandma or Grandpa. Get their story on video before they're gone, and those wonderful backstories disappear. And if you're having trouble with the concept, start with your own family.
• Call Your Lab: You need to ask, "What's new?" Most of you have products that would put a rock to sleep. Let's spice up your offerings with something completely different from things you've offered in the past.
• Do a Networking Luncheon: How about setting up a networking luncheon for a group of businesses who share the same target. The most straightforward example is a wedding photographer bringing together a caterer, wedding planner, venue, florist, baker, limo company, bridal salon, tux rental business, travel agent...and the list goes on and on. Find a simple informal restaurant with a private room and negotiate a flat rate for lunch with the owners. Imagine the power and insight everybody can gain by getting together to talk about business and the community.
• "With Our Blessing:" is thanks to Bob and Dawn Davis. After they've photographed a wedding, they'll send images related to a participating vendor that shows their participation. Along with the photographs is a note they can use the photographs "with our blessing." So, how about looking back through your past few events and finding those opportunities?
• Set Up Throwback Thursday Posts: Reminding "Mom" that it might be time for a new family portrait makes old photographs one of your best marketing tools. Go off searching for a few old photographs that demonstrate how fast kids grow and styles change. Play off that renewed sense of family in the world and remind your readers what you do for a living.
• Practice, Practice, Practice: Many of you are one-trick ponies, and you've stayed focused on one specialty. It's time to expand, but you can't do it without practicing and developing the skills. Pick a specialty, identify a few icons with that expertise, and start with YouTube. Then follow their blogs and start pulling out your camera. 

The bottom line - every day is another opportunity to grow your business and your skillset. So stop worrying about making mistakes and failing, and just take the plunge. The great thing about this profession is your ability to keep growing and changing, and if something doesn't work as well as you'd hoped, step back and fine-tune the next step.

"A person who never made a mistake
never tried anything new!"
Albert Einstein

"Never be afraid to try something new,
because life gets boring when you stay
within the limits of what you already know."
Unknown Author